Was William Morris against all machines?
It is a common misunderstanding that I was wholly against machinery. My objection was not to the machine itself, but to its misuse in the relentless pursuit of profit and cheapness, which led to the degradation of craftsmanship and the production of ugly, soulless goods. I believed that machines could be employed thoughtfully to assist human labor, performing tasks that were tedious or dangerous, but always under the direction of skilled artisans and in service of creating beautiful, well-made objects. The key was to ensure that machinery did not enslave the worker or destroy artistic value.
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